A strong performance in the latter stages of Monday’s bonus point win over Edinburgh was the key for Cardiff Blues, according to Josh Turnbull and Ellis Jenkins.
After trailing 10-3 at the interval, Dai Young’s men bounced back to claim maximum point in a thrilling second half, with Rey Lee-Lo, Liam Belcher, Jarrod Evans and replacement James Ratti all crossing the whitewash.
The win cemented Cardiff’s spot in fourth place in Conference B, but their Champions Cup hopes for next season remains in the balance with the number of participants yet to be confirmed.
Turnbull, who has completed the most tackles in the Guinness PRO14 this season, was named Guinness Player of the Match and was proud to see his side stand up to the physical challenge in such a crucial encounter.
“Edinburgh were relentless at times with their carrying and the speed of ball they were getting meant we couldn’t get our hands on it at times,” explained the utility forward, who captained Cardiff on Monday.
“We had a game plan, we stuck to it and when we got to the right areas of the field we came away with points. That’s what matters.
“The last 10 minutes showed what we’re about as a collective group and we came away with what we wanted in the end.
“You know what to expect when you play against big boys like that and this week was no different.
“We knew we were in for a physical battle and they were our targets.
“We treated it as a cup final, we knew what we needed to do and we did that really well at times.
“We’ve got to see what happens now because it’s out of our hands and hopefully fourth will be enough.
“Like I said, it was like a cup final for us, we needed to go out and get the bonus point and that’s what we did.”
Flanker Jenkins continued his return with another 80 minutes under his belt, and the Welsh international has won an astonishing nine turnovers in the last four matches, taking him into the top six in the PRO14 for the entire campaign.
After results against Connacht and Munster escaped Cardiff Blues’ grasps in recent weeks, the back row was delighted to see his side bouncing back and showing plenty of character, fight and determination in securing back-to-back bonus point wins.
Speaking to Premier Sports, Jenkins added: “It’s great and that’s been a big work-on for us following the Connacht and Munster games.
“We felt that we were in those games in the second half but let them slip away.
“So that’s something we’ve spoken about, which is trying to build the pressure to finish games off, and it’s pleasing to have seen that."